The Story of the Golden Blade Group
by Grimore
Summary: Before they were mercs, they had everyday jobs. Before they embarked, they were normal people. A look into the life of the Golden Blade Group members before the siege of Targos. EDIT: Unfinished, and might not be able to finish.
1. Chapter 1, A Band of Two

The Story of the Golden Blade Group

**Dedrik**

For future references, let me tell you exactly how I became wrapped up in Luskan's affairs and the affairs of Targos itself. Allow me to expand upon my plight: I am Dedrik Lucal, child of the North, and this is my autobiography. I don't know exactly where I was born, but I can tell you that it was sunny, since I bear a tan from that place. Or maybe it was my work as an apprentice blacksmith that did this. That would explain why my sister, Camella, is obviously fairer than me.

At any rate, I was dubbed "the Brazen" for two reasons: because Dedrik Lucal, son of Arilan Lucal is too long, and because of my skin. When I reached the age of 16, my father died from hard work and poor health during the winter. I did well enough in my job, but the village I lived in had little demand for armor or weapons, so I earned little. I realized that, if I were to keep myself and my sister alive, I would need to migrate to other places. So I packed up all of my tools and creations and took my sister with me.

I got to the first of the trading posts in the North, and there, I sold all of the creations I presumed as not needing. My sister, trained by mother to be a great musician, earned both of us extra revenue at the local tavern. After four years of migration and trade, however, I hungered for something more. My strength through proffession, and my skill through the training in my weapons made being an arena fighter the most logical choice. During my first course, however, I never expected to win so greatly, praised by the crowd!

**Camella**

Ah, yes, my brother was going right for a while, especially for the childhood part and somewhere around there. However, his victory at the first battle was just not right. Plus, I told him that I wanted to do more than busk about for money. Also, his weapons might have very well been made of glass because of how much they broke. Dad, if you are listening to this interview, you would roll around in your grave. Honestly, you really would be rolling about.

During the first fight, his dagger, longsword, hammer, mace, and quaterstaff all gave way to the strength of his challenger. Just so you know, the challenger was a bottom-tier fighter; fodder for the new people. The only reason why he wasn't killed then and there, in that arena, was because the fighter took pity on him. So, he was put in the infirmary, then patched up and discharged from the fight. Great contrast from the Dedrik of today, I should say.

**Dedrik**

Thanks for the support, sister, I really apreciate it, since really, I helped save us from starving on the streets. Okay, so I wasn't altogether skilled in either fighting or my trade, but I had a long way to go. I learned and learned in both aspects, training hard every day, until I finally got to mastery in the skills. Finally, with my training complete, I was ready to go out and seek my fortune, yet again, as a proffesional fighter. Feeling elated, yet again, I went to fight, yet again.

**Camella**

He was getting better, so he gets credit for that, but still. Dedrik was a long way from being master, and his later fight proved it through action. Though it took two rounds, all of his weapons broke again, and he resorted to fists to keep himself up. It turned out to be a good fight, with neither champion besting eachother. But just as their last attacks were going to connect, both my brother and his opponent had lost consciousness.

Neither were critically wounded, but both were highly exhausted by the time the fight was ended, with mild-to-moderate wounding on both sides. With my brother and his opponent both okay, I decided to drop by the local tavern to get more people to contribute. As people were giving me coins, a figure walked up to me, staring as I sang my song. When it was over, the figure clapped their hands, and I say that the hands had claws on them. That told me immediately who it was.

"You have a magic to the songs of yours, and I want to prove it." The voice was low, sneaky, and demonic, alerting me that this particular person had fiend's blood. "Thanks, but if you aren't going to contribute, you shouldn't stay around." The tiefling gave me twenty gold coins and said, "Think that all of the patrons in the tavern should go to sleep." Keeping a close eye on him, then concentrating, I did as he said, playing a soft lullaby in the tavern and singing.

As I sang, the people around me began to lull into a sleep, laying down their heads and drifting off. The tiefling walked deeper into the tavern, and shortly after, walked back out with a bulging bag. "We shall meet again, bard, and perhaps on different circumstances from tonight's." As the figure walked out, I stopped playing, then exited the tavern, wondering about what happened. Turns out, the tiefling was a thief; his payload was half of the tavern's income from that night.


	2. Chapter 2, A Troop of Three

The Story of the Golden Blade Group part 2

(I have taken the advice from the previous reviews. To give you the details: Dedrik is in normal, _Camella is italic,_ and the newcomer in this chapter is **bold.**)

I never killed any opponents while I was at the arena. I thought it was unproffesional, and wrong to do in general. But still, being the champion for a solid year was getting tiring for the crowd, and they were soon booing me offstage. Now, I can tell you that I handled this manner as a proffesional would, and in a civil way. After this commotion, I decided to find another job as soon as possible.

_They were not only tired of my brother, they even had the guts to throw stuff at him because they were bored with his usual strategies. And the "proffesional and civilized way" of responding to the crowd was throwing the stuff back at them. Naturally, to no effect, and in fact, higher agitation to the crowd through these efforts, causing me to pull him out of the arena to prevent an angry mob. Finally, he decides to move again and find another job._

We went towards the nearest outpost in the land, a brutal land grab on the part of the South. There was much Southern influences there: clothes, architecture, even governing were Southern in basis. But, of course, I read that from a map, and the actual distance to it is a few days. So, packing my stuff, I got started on the walk with my sister, down the forest trail. All of a sudden, a bandit crossed us and tried to mug us, and during a struggle, I stabbed them.

I looked at the bandit, then my sword, then to my sister, and back to the bandit that was motionless and bleeding on the snow. Naturally, as I have not killed a person before in my life, I was a bit shaken by the event, but still able. I knew that this was simply a way of how I would grow in life, and how I would move on from a novice. I handled the problem with the bandit quickly, and we kept moving on.

_You wouldn't believe how hysterical he was when he had attacked the bandit, bawling and crying, and staring wide-eyed. Nor would you believe that the bandit that he "killed" was not stabbed in any vital areas, and in fact, got up and ran away. I told Dedrik that he hadn't killed anybody, and he just kept on crying like a baby. Finally, when he was done crying, we looked at the map and continued on the path. When we got to the end, however, it was just more wilderness._

_As we were pondering, I saw an outpost about a quarter mile to the west, and then looked back at the map. I traced every inch of it, and then found out that the manufacturers were in some Southern colony on the frontier. Since they knew almost nothing about our land, I assumed that the Southern imagery was just lack of knowledge. Needless to say, I gave Dedrik a smack on the head after that. Then we went on towards the west, ditching the map in the grass._

... When we got to the outpost, of course, we found it to still hold the Northern traditions, but was much richer than the last one. I got a job as one of the guards in the fort, which was an okay job, since the pay was good and I could double as a blacksmith. However, running chores when noone was attacking was annoying, to say the least. But really, toilet duty was the worst chore for me. I will not even get into specifics with you.

The breaks were long enough to not be overworked, but the shifts were long enough to not turn lazy, so I was in a good position. Anyway, as I was on sentry duty, I spotted a band of elves moving into the city, carrying boxes. I identified that they were spice boxes from their shape and design, so they were most likely here for trade. Either way, I was sent down to inspect the merchandise. I suspect it's just some spices that they want to sell, but whatever.

_When the elves came, people seemed to be smiling, and the caravan stopped in the street. That's when I saw my brother walk up to the caravan, inspect some boxes, and had them continue along. Suddenly, he stopped one of the elves, and I noticed that elf to have no box with him. They talked for a while, and I was too busy with my job as a public musician to listen. Soon enough, both the elf and my brother walked back over to where I was playing, and I stopped._

_My brother, after a few minutes of banter, said to me, "This elf is going to accompany us for a time, perhaps longer." He then walked towards the nearest tower to talk with the guards there. I then turned my attention towards the elf, and saw that he had wizard's robes on. The tone of his robes told me that he was a wizard, and the tone of his fce told me that he was a moon elf. He didn't seem to talk; he just continued to smile at me._

**I will tell you the conversation between that guard and me went like this: **"Excuse me, I was wondering why you had nothing to trade with us." **I calmly turned and replied, "Because I find it unnecessary to trade in my status, that's why."** **He was curious, **"What exactly is your status, if you don't mind?" **I grinned, "Well,to make a long story short, I'm rich. And I did it through... certain means."**

**When the guard asked me what I did, I told him that I had direct trade routes that sold medicine across the realm. The medicine was mass-produced and hand-picked with manufacturing machines and the best ingredients around. I also hungered for adventure, since simply being rich and in a forest wasn't enough. All of this I told him, and he looked thoughtful, then asked me to follow. I followed him until we reached the place where a woman musician was, and he told me that he would sign off with the guard.**


End file.
